Don’t let new technology collect dust; training first is a must.

For a dentist, seeing new technology is like being a kid in a candy store. It all just seems so appealing, and you want to try it out and get the latest dental toys and gadgets. But new technology does not come cheap. If you’re looking to invest in technology for your dental practice, make sure you first have training to ensure you can properly use the equipment, and most importantly, that you have a purpose for using it. Lasers, scanners, X-ray equipment, and all digital technology are wonderful advances in the dental profession, but without the right type of training, it can simply go to waste and collect dust in your office.

Here are 5 good reasons to ensure you have purpose, training, and strategy prior to investing in technology.

1. Good technology does not come cheap.

Advanced dental technology is not typically associated with a low price tag. Whether you are a start-up dental practice or you’re transitioning your office to a more modernized aesthetic, dental equipment can be costly, and it often eats up your production. Dentists investing in technology to expand their services, like orthodontics, need to remember that doing so requires expensive equipment like intraoral scanners and panoramic and cephalometric x-ray equipment. All of this technology can cost upward of $100,000 or more, so it is wise for dentists to have the proper orthodontic training so they can use their fancy new gadgets.

2. Do you have the right type of hands-on training to use the equipment?

Dentists looking to incorporate orthodontics into their practices need training to understand the foundations of the field prior to using any equipment. Why do you need to invest in a panoramic, cephalometric, or Cone Beam X-ray? If you don’t understand what you are looking for in an X-ray, the technology won’t be helpful.

Before you invest in new equipment, consider taking orthodontic CE courses for general dentists or ortho courses for pediatric dentists. Courses offered by Synergy Orthodontic Seminars design their coursework with general and pediatric dentists in mind. The courses are laid out to give you the knowledge and experience you need to become competent in the field of orthodontics, so that when you do decide to invest in new technology, you are prepared.

3. Can you properly diagnose patients and plan good treatment?

One of the most important aspects of treating orthodontics is your initial diagnosis and records. Taking accurate records is necessary to get all the information needed to plan a good treatment option. Can you confidently discuss a patient’s clinical findings and radiographs to a patient to deliver a healthy, ideal orthodontic result? If you can’t discuss the reasons for your treatment and how you can treat the patient using orthodontic braces, you may want to take a step back and recognize you need training first.

Orthodontics may be a lucrative field that is highly requested by patients, but it also takes extensive orthodontic training for dentists to do it well. Investment in getting properly trained is your most valuable asset because it is this tool that allows you to treat patients competently.

4. Does your staff require training? 

Dentists may “run the ship,” but there is no way they can do it alone. Your team is equally as valuable as you are because they are the ones conversing with patients when you are not available. They take diagnostic records, change wires and brackets, deal with insurance issues, and schedule follow-up appointments.

When you take a course with Synergy Orthodontic Seminars, you’ll not only get the clinical training but also the practice management that is necessary to run a general dental orthodontic office. This is one of the key steps in successfully implementing orthodontics into any practice, because without good training and preparation, your practice will be unorganized and chaotic. As you can imagine, this will turn patients away—patients who may have spent thousands of dollars in orthodontics and may not trust the process because of the disarray.

5. Are you investing in the right resources?

Dentists love to invest in technology because it looks good to patients, just like that new car feeling. But, do you really need every piece of new technology right now? Is there a chance you can use your existing equipment and slowly add pieces?

When you take orthodontic CE courses with other like-minded dentists, you can discuss the needs and concerns of your office because it is very likely they have the same questions, or maybe they have some answers to your questions. Sometimes it is best to slowly invest in technology until you make a profit. Other times, you can buy refurbished gadgets or finance a new piece of equipment. Synergy Orthodontic Seminars is here to guide you in the right direction so you can have  the proper training and equipment needed to treat patients.

Dental technology and training doesn’t have a stopping point. It is a constant, evolving process to invest in your professional growth and your practice. Always keep in mind that with education comes the training needed to understand and use new technology. When you take a well designed orthodontic CE course for dentists, Synergy Orthodontic Seminars will give you the tools needed to make educated decisions in technology investments.